Le Petit Bakery's 'Squat' is the Best Cronut Knockoff

The square-shaped "Squat" ($4.50) from Le Petit Bakery in Fort Greene is the best Cronut knockoff I've tried to date. If you consider yourself a Cronut connoisseur or student of deep fried pastries it's definitely worth a special trip.

I tried the chocolate glazed squat with coffee pastry cream filling and a sugar coating. Petit also offers a number of other variations, including a Squat with chocolate pastry cream and a maple-bacon sugar crumble on top. Plain, unadorned Squat "bites" are also available (three for $1.75).

The first thing you notice is the fantastic texture on the crust. The fried croissant dough is perfectly crisp, which makes for a satisfying bite. And since the doughnut is so tall, you get plenty of layers in each mouthful.

The modest amount coffee pastry cream has a subtle flavor and just the right amount of sweetness. And it stays put instead of going all over the place when you cut into it.

There's only one downside to the Squat: it retains more oil than a Cronut when fried, so be sure to eat it with plenty of napkins.